CINCINNATI – Jonah Williams’ highest-graded game during his first season as a right tackle for the Cincinnati Bengals came in Week 5 at Arizona, and the people at Pro Football Focus weren’t the only ones who noticed.
The Cardinals are signing Williams to a two-year, $30 million contract, officially ending the 2019 first-round pick’s time in Cincinnati.
It was never a question of if Williams would leave, but where.
Ex-Cincinnati Bengals Tackle Jonah Williams Signs With Cardinals
An out-of-the-blue signing of Orlando Brown Jr. one year ago today led the Bengals to move Williams to right tackle for the first time in his professional career. Williams was not happy about the move and even less pleased with not receiving advanced notice.
His request for a trade was ignored by the Cincinnati front office, just as Tee Higgins’ desire for one will be this offseason.
Williams skipped the voluntary part of the offseason, and when he reported for the voluntary work, he said and did all the right things and had arguably the best season of his career while playing on the fifth-year option and earning $12.9 million.
Jonah Williams on the chances Sunday will be his last game in a #Bengals jersey. pic.twitter.com/SQ20lszWIW
— Jay Morrison (@ByJayMorrison) January 4, 2024
His deal with the Cardinals earns him an even bigger pay day, and it includes $19 million in guarantees.
It also sets up an interesting scenario where Williams could be on the other side of a position swap controversy one year later.
The Cardinals made Cincinnati native Paris Johnson the first offensive lineman taken in the 2023 NFL Draft, and he started all 17 games at right tackle. The plan was to move Johnson to left tackle this season, but will the Williams signing alter that?
While Williams returning to Cincinnati never was in play, his move to Arizona could have a ripple effect for the Bengals, who are expected to sign a tackle in free agency to replace Williams as well as drafting one.
The tackle market mostly has been stagnant since free agency opened Monday. Perhaps the Williams signing will establish a monetary baseline and start a run on free agent tackle signings.
Williams was the first draft pick of the Zac Taylor era in 2019, but he missed the entire season with a labrum injury suffered in OTAs.
He started every game from 2021-23 except for the ’21 finale when the Bengals rested all of their starters.
His experience, first-round pedigree, and versatility made him an attractive target in free agency, and he lands in Arizona, where the Cardinals ranked sixth in ESPN’s run-block win rate metric but 19th in pass-block win rate.
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